Her Cure
by DemolitionLvr
Summary: ONESHOTS. Ch 1: Her Cure- Humor, jealousy and fluff. Ch 2: The Bucket List- Teaser, for both you & Ren. Ch 3: Permanent Marker- ShoXMimori. Well, sort of. Not really. Ch 4: Untitled- Of fluff and friends. Ch 5: Tension- Cuz of Jelly Woods.
1. Her Cure

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat! Not even one volume *cries* Please thank Nakamura Yoshiki sensei for gracing us with such wonderful, fan fiction friendly characters.

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><p>Off to the side on the set of Tsuruga Ren's new romance drama, a young rapidly rising actress sat in a chair waiting for the nausea that had hit her suddenly to pass. The small, cute actress, Mogami Kyoko, was playing the best friend in the drama, a role which she hoped would show her capability to play protagonists and lead her to more varying genres. Unfortunately, at that moment she didn't feel capable of doing anything.<p>

It was completely _his_ fault that she felt so awful. When she was away from him her breathing felt shallow, as if she wasn't getting enough oxygen. But then every time she saw him her heart squeezed until it felt like it couldn't beat anymore. Every time he smiled she felt so weak in the knees that she had once collapsed, much to his alarm. Any time he touched her, her mind would blank, and she was sure she was having a stroke.

And God damn it, every time she had to watch a filming of one of the many kissing scenes between him and the lead actress she felt like puking. Just like now.

Why in the world did she have to see this happen so much? Why do the writers add so many kisses to the script? Half of them aren't necessary, and it was endangering her health.

Love, she had decided long ago after her heartbreak, was a disease. Now she had proof that it was.

Kyoko didn't know how much longer she would last without a cure for this terrible feeling. But what could possibly cure her symptoms? All she knew about it was that when she was alone with him, talking one on one, she didn't have the feeling. But when he left the feeling came right back.

She considered that for a moment. Maybe being near him was the cure.

After all, she was suffering from lovesickness. And she was in love with _him_.

When the ridiculously long-winded romance scene was _finally_ over, the Director called for a lunch break. Ren and his manager, Yashiro, walked to his dressing room to change out of the outfit from that scene. Kyoko quietly followed, and waited for him to come back out.

When the door finally opened, Ren's back was turned and Yashiro was saying, "Ren, you need to tell your co-star that you aren't interested, or you're going to have quite a mess to deal with."

Ren sighed. "I've already done that, but she seems to think I'm encouraging her in romantic scenes because I can't push her away when she uses tongue in the middle of one. What can I do? I can't ruin the take. I'll have to deal with it when the drama's over. There are only two more episodes anyway."

Ren turned to walk out the door and nearly jumped a foot in the air when he saw Kyoko standing there. He looked guilty about what she had heard and started to tell her that he hadn't seen her there, until he noticed how pale she was.

"Mogami-san, are you alright?"

Kyoko was trying to hold back the most recent wave of nausea. It struck after she had heard 'tongue.' Trying to remove the image of the actress, who automatically made her list of most hated people right behind Sho-baka and beagle, French kissing the man she loved from her mind, she assured Ren that she was alright. Ren wasn't reassured, and sent Yashiro to get her something to settle her stomach.

Ren led Kyoko to sit on the couch in his dressing room and sat next to her. She blushed at the touch of his hand pulling hers. Seeing the color return to her cheeks, he felt relieved.

"Mogami-san, why don't I go get us both lunch and we can eat in here. Relax, and I'll be right back."

"Wait," Kyoko whispered as she grabbed his hand to stop him from getting up. "Just wait a second. I need your help with something."

"What is it Mogami-san?" He sat back down on her right, and she held onto his hand with her left.

Kyoko took several deep breaths and started speaking quietly. "I don't know how to describe it really." She paused to think, and then continued, getting louder all the time. "I just keep getting this painful feeling in my chest when I see you not with me, but when you're not around at all it's like I can't breathe, and then," she paused and lowered her voice. "And then you have to kiss that _woman_ all the time and it makes me want to hurl," she admitted.

She paused again to breathe. She couldn't look at his face from embarrassment; if she could have, she would have seen his total shock.

"Mogami-san? What do you-"

He was cut off by her right index finger, which she raised while her head still faced her knees, her back hunched over. She let the silence continue for a few more minutes before turning to Ren and saying, "What I'm trying to say is that the only time I don't feel sick is when I'm with you." She quietly added, "I've long since believed that love was a disease anyway."

Ren was more than shocked; he couldn't even think anymore. So for once, he just let himself do what he felt like.

"I think I might know of a way to make you feel better, Kyoko."

Kyoko's heart sped up when he heard her name on his lips. It was a good feeling, like she was finally catching a breath of air after being submerged in water. She didn't want to ever again live without the wild rush of emotions he gave her. "W-what is it?"

She gasped when Ren's face was suddenly right next to her's, one of his hands on her left cheek, his thumb rubbing comforting lines along her cheekbone. "You'll just have to stay with me forever," he whispered into her ear before pulling her whole body close against his, so they were sitting side against side. He moved his head in front of hers to look into her tear-filled eyes. His were filled with love, and she was drowning in them. He leaned his forehead against hers and murmured _I love you_. Then he kissed her.

Kyoko leaned into his kiss eagerly, and for the first time in weeks her lungs were filled, her head didn't ache, and her heart pounded brightly; she felt perfectly healthy.

Yashiro finally came back a couple of minutes later with stomach medicine to find the two making out in the dressing room. Biting back a fangirl squeal, he closed the dressing room door as quietly as possible and stood guard outside the door.

It was part of the manager's job, according to Kyoko at least, to protect his charge's health, and Ren had been lovesick for far too long.

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><p><strong>an: Totally wrote this in like an hour, finished at 2am, posting it even if it's crap.**

**Please Review, even if you're reading this months from now and think I won't notice and appreciate, cuz I spend ridiculous amounts of time reading all reviews I get, so I will see it and love you. SO REVIEW! Cheers.  
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**_PS, I fixed it, finally, cuz Bobapearl said it seemed too rushed at the end and I agreed, and someone said Ren's complaint was a bit OOC, which I wasn't sure about but tried to fix anyway. Sept 2011_  
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	2. The Bucket List

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat!

This is totally unrelated to 'Her Cure,' I'm just going to make it into a series of oneshots, an outlet for my sudden bursts of inspiration. I hope you enjoy this little drabble.

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><p>Ren found Kyoko sitting in the LoveMe room, concentrating very hard on something she was writing in a small, hot pink notebook that matched her coveralls. He knocked on the door frame to get her attention. She jumped at the sound, suddenly pulled from her thoughts to see her respected sempai watching her. She blushed and closed the notebook.<p>

"Hello, Tsuruga-san," she smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm fine Mogami-san. I'm sorry to disrupt you. What were you writing anyway?"

"Oh, w-well," she stuttered and blushed. "It was just something I've been meaning to write down for a while. I was just making a list before I forgot. It's my bucket list."

"Bucket list?" The term sounded familiar to Ren, but he was too busy watching her cute blush to remember.

"Yeah, a list of things I want to do before I, um, 'kick the bucket' as the saying goes." It was an odd, American phrase and tradition that she had seen in a movie once. Ever since she saw it when she had thought of things she wanted to do she mentally added them to her bucket list before she even realized that she was making one. She was only now writing them down, though.

"Is that so? Well, what sorts of things are on your bucket list?"

Kyoko, slightly reluctantly, handed Ren the notebook. After flipping past a few pages filled with to do lists, phone numbers, and meeting times he found the page he was looking for. He read it quickly and quietly.

Bucket List:

1. Become Japan's best actress

2. Visit Kuu Otou-san in America

3. Take up Karate

4. Learn French

Her list continued only a few items further, mostly a list of skills she wanted to learn, and a couple of places she wanted to travel to. He thought it was a rather good list, nothing shallow like objects she wanted. But he felt that there was something missing from her list, something he knew had been her goal for quite some time.

"Mogami-san, this is very nice, and I'm sure someone of your intelligence and determination will be able to finish this list easily within a year or so. But, I think you forgot something."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Wasn't your first goal in life to defeat Fuwa Sho?"

Kyoko's face went totally blank for a minute while she thought of the implications of her failure to add that to the list. Then she smiled.

"I didn't forget, Tsuruga-san. It's just not important anymore, so I don't think about him. There are other more important things."

"Important things like these," he clarified, holding up her list.

"Yes, those things as well as others. In fact . . . Recently . . . I've been thinking a lot about trying to accept my lost important emotion again."

Ren froze, as Kyoko smiled shyly, meaningfully at him. Then she took her notebook back, saying that she had a meeting soon, and said goodbye.

He watched her walk out, and a smile broke out on his face to match the hope he felt renewed in his heart. Maybe Yashiro would say that he hadn't made any progress, but perhaps, if she kept thinking like that, Kyoko might meet him halfway.

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><p><strong>An: I was making my own bucket list when i suddenly thought about Kyoko making one. Then I thought, if she forgot about Sho, what would that mean for Ren? It just grew from there. I hope you like it. Cheers.**


	3. Permanent Marker

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat! but it's better that way.

Inspired by **Permanent Marker by Taylor Swift**. I freaking love this song, I think it's hilarious. I just had to write this story. **ShoX****Mimori **(kinda)**  
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><p>Long story short, Mimori had a shit fit, and paid for it.<p>

She had been in Sho's apartment, waiting to surprise him after his photo shoot since she never got to see him anymore. She was starting to fear that he might be avoiding her. She had flirted with the doorman in order to get in. She was lucky that he was a pervy old guy.

She was getting bored with waiting, and her mind wandered to the day two years ago when they had filmed the 'Prisoner' PV. Just the thought of _that girl_ made her mad.

No matter how much she denied it, she was jealous. That plain, unpopular girl got to grow up with Sho, she knew Sho better than she did. They had _history_. A lot of it.

She needed to distract herself somehow. So she went exploring the apartment. She had never been there; Sho never brought anyone there, it was the only place he could be alone. Only Shoko could get in. She walked into his kitchen, which had basically nothing in it to a personal effect, just some beer cans on the counter, dirty dishes in and near the sink, and leftovers in the fridge.

Moving on, she found his bedroom down a short hallway. Looking back to the front door to make sure that Sho wasn't back yet, she tip-toed in. She saw his unmade bed, a bedside table, a desk covered in half-written songs. His favorite song-writing guitar was on a stand beside the desk. The guitar he used for performances was hanging on the wall with several other guitars he had.

She wandered towards the desk, shuffling through the sheet music, trying not to put anything out of place. That was when she saw a plain, leather bound book underneath the papers. it looked well-worn, like it was constantly looked though. It was a photo album, she saw.

Wanting to know what memories Sho held dear enough to keep photos of, she opened to book. There was an inscription on the first page, in elegant calligraphy that was distinctly feminine. It read, _Sho, your father and I hope you are happy with your choices.  
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Wondering about the strange words, thinking perhaps they were mad that he left home still, she turned to the first page. There were two pictures per page, but one was all it took to make her almost drop the book.

The very first picture in the album was of a smiling little girl with black hair and pig-tails holding onto the arm of a small Sho about the same age. While he pretended to be annoyed that she was clinging onto him, Mimori got the impression that he was still happy.

The picture set the trend for the whole album. All the pictures were of that cheery little girl, always with Sho. As she gradually got older in the photos, Mimori realized that they were pictures of _her_. Kyoko. They were pictures of their childhood, which he never told Mimori about. If the pictures were any indication, the two were always together, except at school. The last few pictures were from their middle school graduation. Sho was surrounded by girls while Kyoko posed with a couple that must have been Sho's parents.

When she opened the last page, a folded paper fell out. The creases were worn thin, from being folded and unfolded. She opened the page to see a page from a magazine, a full page spread of the actress Kyouko, hair done up, make up professionally done to make her look exquisite, and wearing the most beautiful green full length dress, standing out against the red carpet she was standing on. There were several smaller shots of different angles, to see the dress from all sides. There was a small paragraph at the bottom saying that the dress was designed for her by R Mandy as a gift from her boyfriend, Tsuruga Ren.

She remembered the article, which is why she knew that the next page of the magazine had had a picture of her on Tsuruga's arm, with a brief interview about their going on six-month relationship beneath, and the page after that had showed two pictures of Kyoko accepting her awards, one for best actress, one for best supporting actress. Mimori had been so upset, since her movie debut had been the same year as Kyoko's two movies, but she hadn't been nominated for anything.

At that point, her shit fit began.

The fact that Sho had these pictures of them, and this picture of her made her furious. She wanted to burn the whole album, but she couldn't hurt photos with Sho in them. The magazine page, though, she shredded into pieces, as small as she could make them. Then she took half the pieces and threw them all over the floor. She flushed the other half down the toilet.

Then she pulled out the Sharpie marker she always carried out of her purse. She kept it in order to sign autographs, but unfortunately people didn't ask her often.

She started pulling the first picture out of the album, and drew a big black X through Kyoko's young face, when she suddenly heard a male voice growl, "What are you doing?"

She slowly straightened up and turned back to face Sho. He was furious, and it scared her. She had never seen him so angry for any reason. It seemed like Kyoko was the only reason he ever became emotional.

He walked over and snatched the album from her hands before she could destroy anymore. He saw the shreds on the floor, and didn't want the same fate for the gift his mother had sent him in anger of losing Kyoko as a daughter-in-law.

He wanted to smack her for what she had done, but that made him remember the time he had accidentally hit Kyoko. So, instead, he grabbed Mimori's arm, dragged her through the apartment into the living room and towards the door, while she screamed her protests.

"Sho-chan, please, I'm sorry, please don't be mad, I only did it because I love you! She even told me that I was better suited for you! Let me go, You're hurting me!"

Sho just dragged her to the door and told her not to come back. He could still hear her crying through the door as he walked into his bedroom. He found thirty pieces of the magazine page she had torn. He began idly piecing them back together, before deciding he could just find a new picture online. Then he looked at the picture where she had drawn an X through Kyoko's face. It was his favorite picture, a perfect representation of his childhood.

But it didn't really matter. He had a copy of the photo framed on the wall. He was glad she hadn't noticed it.

Then again, that didn't matter either. Since he would never get Kyoko back. Looking at the big black X across her young face, he knew that if he ripped his aching heart out he would see the big black X that Kyoko had left there in permanent marker. He regretted abandoning her every day of his life.

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><p><strong>an: Yo, wassup my readas? LOL. I'm in a really good mood for no reason. Anywho, a bunch of avid readers reviewed (EARNING MY UNDYING LOVE) saying that they wanted a part 2 of 'the bucket list.' well, TOUGH. cuz that story ended exactly the way i wanted it to. giving ren enough hope for you all to imagine the happy ending. MWUA HAHA! See what i mean about the good mood? *Breaks down into giggles* REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! ! ! ! Cheers.**


	4. Untitled

**Disclaimer:** Thank God I don't own Skip Beat! cuz it wouldn't be as good if I did.

**a/n**: thank you **21han**, for being the ONLY PERSON to review ch3. i guess no one likes fics about sho.**  
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~I hope everyone is in character, but if Kyoko isn't, it's cuz she's in love. This is how I think Kyoko would think in the situation. I think Moko-san is fairly IC, as well as Ren (maybe). Maria was the real challenge. I think that her thought process as you will read it is fairly reasonable, though. Enjoy, just don't expect anything meaningful, it's just fluff.

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><p>Kyoko woke up in the best way she could have imagined: with Ren's arms around her. She didn't want to wake him up, so she remained as still as she could while managing to run her fingers through his hair. She felt guilty for being so happy.<p>

Her acting career had begun to take off with the recently ended Box "R" and she was getting more offers for varying characters every week. She now had friends that loved her and a surrogate family in the couple at the Darumaya. But what she could never have imagined was the wonderful, loving man she now had in her life. She was waiting for the day when she would wake up and realize that it was all just a dream. But it had yet to happen, and last night had been way too incredible for her to ever dream up on her own.

Ren began to stir awake, and as he took a deep breath he tightened his hold on her waist, making her giggle. He nuzzled into her neck before pulling back to look at her sleepily and murmur, "I love you," in greeting. She smiled warmly and said she loved him, too.

Once free of his hold, she dressed in his shirt from the night before, a light blue button-down that almost reached her knees, and strolled into his kitchen to scrounge up breakfast for them.

Just as she set two plates of food on his table in the living room, he walked out fully showered and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, casual in a way that only she ever saw. He smiled at the sight of her eating breakfast wearing just his shirt and leaned down to kiss her. She pulled back, smirking, and shoved food into his mouth before he could react. Knowing that she would continue to do that until he ate, he sat down, pulled her onto his lap, earning a squeak from her, and ate his breakfast quickly. Once he was finished he gave her a deep kiss that she felt all the way to her toes.

Even after dating for nearly half a year, she couldn't get used to the way her made her feel. She hoped she never did.

They hadn't told anyone about them yet, not even Yashiro and Kanae. When Ren had finally made a move and confessed, bringing Kyoko to tears of shock and happiness, she had agreed to try dating as long as it was secret. The reason was that she was afraid of getting her heart broken again, so she wanted to take it slow and easy, which would be difficult if the media was mobbing them, and she was too shy to tell her friends or the general public about their relationship while she still had fears and doubts. She had assured Ren that the doubts weren't about him, just about her ability to be in a love relationship.

Ren had agreed to the condition. He would do anything to make her more comfortable. He had also acknowledged that it might be bad to be in a public relationship so early in her career. That idea simply made her try harder to make a name for herself in the acting world.

Every time they saw each other over the last months the love he had showed for her had melted away her doubts bit by bit. He hadn't tried to push her, he just loved her unconditionally and waited for her to trust him. It seemed that his patience had paid off when she showed up at his apartment late last night.

Would he ever have guessed that she would make that first move? Never. But he decided that it was so much hotter that way.

Besides the obvious enjoyment of the night, the emotional result was astounding for Kyoko. She no longer felt shy and awkward with Ren. Physical contact had used to make her nervous, but after _that_, eating breakfast on his lap was the most obvious place to be. She was confident of his love for her, and hers for him. And she decided it was time to tell their friends and families.

But not the media. She didn't think she could handle that.

Leaning her head back against the chest of her lover, she could hear his steady heartbeat. It made her smile. "My heart beats just for you," he loved to tell her. She loved listening to it pound, hearing the rhythm change with his emotions.

They were relaxed, reveling in each others company. By some miracle, neither of the had work that morning, so they had no intentions of breaking the tranquil moment.

Kyoko decided that it would be the best time to bring up her decision, so she started, "Ren."

"What, love?"

"I think it's time we started telling people. About us I mean."

She looked up at his face, which was lightly tinted with surprise, before it changed to a warm smile. She rushed to finish before he distracted her. That smile of his made it hard to think.

"Just, you know, our close friends, and family. They should know, I feel bad for not telling them. Do you- do you think they'll be happy for us?"

Ren was relieved that she had decided this finally. He had been worried that she would never feel able to confess that she had learned to love again. "I'm sure everyone who loves you will be overjoyed as long as you're happy."

He kept smiling at her, until she blushed and looked down. She leaned back once again, and sighed contentedly. "I am, Ren. I'm so happy."

He squeezed her, and rested his chin on top of her head, careful not to put too much weight on her. They remained there for another long while. Until Kyoko thought of something that made her gasp and bolt up into a ramrod straight position on his lap.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked. Her eyes were open wide, and he was worried that she had somehow changed her mind. His heart was ice cold with fear as he awaited her answer.

She looked at him with big eyes, and asked, "How am I going to tell Maria?"

Ren burst out laughing. Kyoko pouted, thinking that he was teasing her again. It seemed to be his favorite pastime.

"What's so funny? This is a serious problem!"

Ren struggled to talk through the chuckles that still erupted, though he tried to stem them. "It's not you, Kyoko, it's just that I was sitting here terrified that you had changed your mind, and it turns out that you're worried about explaining our relationship to a nine-year-old!"

Kyoko very gently punched him in the shoulder. "This is no laughing matter. This is a little girl known to throw live bugs at girls who get near you. Even if she does love me, she's convinced that she's going to marry you someday. What if she hates me for this?"

Ren's laughter stopped instantly when he saw her tearing up.

"Kyoko, don't worry. Maria loves you far too much for that. And honestly, I think she's noticed my feelings for you. She's a very bright little girl. I'm sure she'll be happy that you're happy."

Kyoko seemed a bit doubtful still, but was determined to tell Maria herself. She felt she owed it to Maria to be honest with her. Ren decided that he would tell the president, and Yashiro of course. He didn't want to subject her to the torture of those two's effusions of happiness and triumph. Kyoko would, obviously, tell Kanae. She could only hope that her best friend wouldn't hate her forever for keeping this from her.

When she brought up the Darumaya couple, Ren mentioned that he wanted to formally ask their permission to date her. She smiled at that. It was just another way he showed her how serious he was about her, and how much he loved her. She knew how intimidating the taicho could be.

As for his parents, who Kyoko did in fact know to be Kuu and Julie Hizuri, Ren suggested that they tell them in person, since he hadn't been home in so long after all. He had correctly anticipated her excitement at the idea of visiting her psuedo-father.

Their conversation, interspersed with comfortable silences, took most of their morning. Before they knew it, it was almost time to leave. Kyoko used his shower and got dressed in her clothes from the night before. She had only worn them on the way to his apartment, so they weren't really dirty. Ren changed into his usual style. He drove her to LME, explaining to Yashiro that he had picked her up that morning before getting him. As they parted, they shared a brief look that said everything that they couldn't at the moment. Luckily, Yashiro missed it. He would learn the truth soon enough anyway.

Kyoko found Kanae in the LoveMe room, reading a script, grumbling over something she was reading. For once, Kyoko didn't rush to hug her best friend. Instead, she went to kneel in front of her, and went into a dogeza.

"Mo! Stop kneeling, an actress shouldn't be seen on the floor!"

"Moko-san, I'm so sorry, I'm not worthy to be your best friend, I hated hiding things from you but I just couldn't tell anyone, and now I'm telling you first, no one else knows yet, so please don't hate me and please don't stop being my best friend, I'm so sorry, so very very very-"

"Stop groveling! Mo! Explain first, then I'll know what to forgive you for."

Kyoko sat up, and with her eyes cast down she mumbled something indistinguishable. All Kanae got to say was one last annoyed 'Mo' before Kyoko just burst out with, "Ren and I are dating!"

Kanae looked at the blushing girl for a moment in surprise. She had expected the two to end up as a couple eventually, with the way that guy looked at Kyoko.

"I suppose that explains the way you've changed."

Kyoko quirked her head, "I've changed?"

"Yeah, I guess love suits you. You've been practically glowing with happiness. You've gotten prettier. I was starting to get freaked out, actually. How long have you been dating?"

"Um... It's been just over five months."

"Mo!" Kyoko flinched. "You kept something this important a secret for that long?"

"I'm so sorry Moko-san! I just couldn't tell anyone while I was afraid..." She couldn't continue but she didn't have to. Kanae understood what she had been afraid of. Not wanting her to dwell on past heartbreak, Kanae moved on.

"It's alright. Who else are you two telling?"

"Well, we're going to try to keep it from the media for as long as possible. Right now Ren is telling Yashiro-san and President Takarada. I should find Maria and explain before her grandfather tells her-"

"WAIT! If you've fallen in love, then that means- NO! You will NOT leave me alone to suffer the pink curse!"

For the first time, Kyoko realized that this did mean that she would be graduating the LoveMe section. She had been so caught up in the tumble of her emotions that she had not thought of it like that. If the president kept his promise, this meant that she would be allowed to have her movie debut.

Kanae continued ranting about the pink nightmare, and being left behind by her rival. When Kyoko finally managed to appease her, Kanae told her that she wasn't mad at her for falling in love. Content that she still had a best friend, she left to face her next challenge.

In the president's office, loud squealing was heard.

When Yashiro fainted, to the relief of his two companions, who both believed that a man should never be heard making such a sound, the president chuckled. "I was wondering when you would finally tell me."

"You... You knew?" Ren was shocked.

Lory shook his head. "Ren, never underestimate my information networks."

Ren got chills at the idea of what else Lory might know about him and Kyoko, but decided to overlook it for the moment, and asked, "Then why didn't you say anything? I thought you would've tried to plot and interfere once you knew."

Lory acted affronted, saying, "I support love any way I can, Ren, and the best way to support Mogami-kun was to let her slowly accept and gain confidence in her love without any interference. Did it work?"

Ren just nodded. He was once again indebted to his crazy boss.

"Well then, shall we call up Mogami-kun? We need to talk about her graduation, her debut, and ways to keep this from the press. I assume you do want to keep this from the press? It would be the best plan, considering her budding career."

"Yes, we do want to keep it private, but Kyoko said she would come up as soon as she was finished telling Kotonami-san and Maria-chan."

The president was thoughtful. "Yes, I believe it would be best for Maria to hear this from her. I hope she takes it well."

"So do I. It would break Kyoko's heart if Maria-chan was mad at her."

After a brief pause, Lory summoned his assistant, Sebastian, and asked him to find good options for Kyoko's debut that he could look over before she arrived. He returned shortly with four scripts, all romantic dramas, but Lory had barely read over the summaries before Maria herself barged into the office, dragging Kyoko behind her.

Kyoko had found Maria in the talent section harassing Sawara. When Maria noticed her, she ran over yelling, "Onee-sama!"

Kyoko lifted Maria into a hug, nodded to Sawara in greeting, and the started walking back the way she'd come holding onto Maria's hand, explaining, "Maria-chan, we need to talk about something in private."

As Kyoko headed towards the LoveMe room, which was empty since Kanae had left for a job, Maria chatted to Kyoko, who was trying to think of the best way to tell the little girl.

Once they were in the LoveMe room, Kyoko lead Maria onto the couch, and knelt on the floor in front of her, much as she had with Kanae but without doing a dogeza.

"Maria-chan, I have a confession to make, but I'm afraid that you'll be angry with me when I tell you."

"Onee-sama, I won't be angry with you!"

"You promise?" Kyoko asked sadly, though she knew it wouldn't make a difference when it came to it.

"I promise! So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, but I'm worried that you won't agree. You see," Kyoko paused for a deep breath, clutched Maria's hands, and said, "Maria-chan, I've seen what you do to girls that try to get close to Ren, I know how you feel about him, but I hope that you like me enough to believe that I'm not trying to betray you or anything. What I'm trying to get at is that Ren and I have been dating for a few months."

Maria looked at Kyoko and blinked, allowing the new information to sink in. "Dating each other?" She checked.

Kyoko nodded and watched the emotions play across he young girl's face.

First it was blank as what Kyoko had said began to register. Then it was replaced by a slight frown.

Maria thought about her two favorite people dating each other, and felt jealous. Kyoko was right about her doing terrible things to girls who got close to Ren, but even though she had always dreamed that she would marry Ren when she was older, she couldn't do something so mean to her onee-sama.

Kyoko watched Maria's frown turn into a faraway look, like she was remembering something.

As she thought about it, Ren had always seemed to have a soft spot for Kyoko. He treated her specially, and seemed to be actually happy when he was with her, which she had never seen when he was with any other girls. Maria had noticed this before, but hadn't really seen the significance. Now it seemed obvious, even to her young mind. She realized at that moment how silly it had been to want to marry someone more than ten years older than her in the first place.

Kyoko got worried when Maria's face fell. She had been optimistic while Maria was thinking, but now that she looked so sad all her hopes dropped.

"Maria-chan...? Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you-"

Maria cut her off, "Onee-sama, calm down. I'm fine."

She thought again for a second, and then popped up, asking, "Onee-sama, are you happy?"

"Huh? You mean with Ren? Yes, I'm very happy."

Maria suddenly grabbed Kyoko's hand and started dragging her towards the door. "Then let's go!"

Before she knew where they were going, Kyoko found herself pulled into the president's office, which was occupied by Ren, Lory, and an unconscious Yashiro.

The two aware men were surprised by the sudden entrance, and Lory stood up and opened his mouth to question Maria, who ignored him and walked straight up to Ren. When she was in front of him, still holding Kyoko by the hand, she had to look up at him even though he was sitting and she standing.

"Ren-sama, does onee-sama make you happy?"

Ren was surprised and confused. He looked to Kyoko for explanation, but only received a shrug. So he answered honestly, "She makes me very, very happy, Maria-chan."

Maria suddenly gave the two a big smile, pulled Kyoko so that she was next to Ren, who caught her to stop her from falling on top of him, and declared, "Then I'm happy too!"

Leaving the couple very shocked, and very relieved, Maria walked over to her grandfather, and stated demanding that she could help choose her onee-sama's debut movie.

Meanwhile, Ren turned to Kyoko, and said simply, "Well, that went well."

She looked over at Maria, and nodded. "Surprisingly well. Moko-san isn't mad either."

"I told you that the people who love you will be happy as long as you are."

"I guess you were right," Kyoko, who was still unused to unconditional love, admitted. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, keeping it clean while they were in mixed company, and then ran over to the little blonde girl who had been the first person in her life to love her, and gave her a big hug.

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><p><strong>an: Really hope you liked it. Cheers**


	5. Tension

**a/n**: to the fans of Too Good... sorry, I just had to write this, even though I have a bunch of other things to be doing. **Too Good should be updated within a couple of weeks, at most**.

To everyone reading this. well thanks for clicking this link. I hope you've liked all the oneshots. This one is closely related to the current arc in the manga, which I'm just loving. I hope you like this story.** Let me know what you think! I'm a fan of constructive criticism!**

Oh, Disclaimer. Disclaiming. Disclaimed.

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><p>After she had discovered that she was in love with Ren, Kyoko's days as Setsu became torture. She was cushioned by the blanket of Setsu's character and her fraternal relationship with Cain, but her real self underneath was suffering from the almost incestuous closeness. At least that punishment saved her the need to metaphorically beat herself up for breaking her vow to never love again. Every time Cain looked at her adoringly, her heart would be pierced, and she would think, <em>this is what I get for falling in love<em>.

She wasn't sure exactly when, but it didn't take long before she admitted that she enjoyed his attentions despite the pain they brought. She had, it seemed, become a masochist. He would buy her clothes or pretty gifts, and while Kyoko would have felt the need to refuse them, as Setsu she reveled in her ability to cherish what he gave her. He called her cute and she hoped against hope that he wasn't just saying that as a brother to his sister. He simply smiled at her, and she melted into a puddle on the floor. Her self-doubts made it painful, but the love she had for him made it wonderful.

She wasn't sure if she should wish that he wouldn't love her back so that she could continue to keep her vow to be loveless for life, or if she should wish that he would love her in return so she could have her fairy-tale ending. She was on the fence about it for several days, until Cain decided that his cute little sister was so hard working and adorable that she needed a long, tender hug. Kyoko decided to wish that he would love her, as his lean, masculine body pressed against her soft feminine one.

Even though they were playing siblings, even though he was dressed like a serial killer, even though he showed no sign of affection once they dropped the personas, she was undeniably attracted to him in a way she had never experienced before. She knew he was the sexiest man in Japan, but she hadn't seen him like that until she was too far gone. And now they slept two feet from each other, her in a lacy camisole and tiny shorts she had compromised to match her modesty and Setsu's personality, and him in boxers. She felt his presence acutely while she attempted to rest.

She took to testing him, just to spark a reaction, with her outfits. She gauged his reaction to particularly skimpy ones, hoping he would find her attractive. Even if she wasn't pretty, she thought, Setsu was, so maybe she could turn his head. He was often surprised by her choices in clothes, but acted perfectly in his part as the protective brother, and told her to put on more clothes. Disappointed, Kyoko didn't know that every time she did that she was accomplishing everything she had hoped to. Ren noticed and desired her more than she would have thought. She was torturing the poor guy.

Weeks in a hotel room with the man she loved taught her for the first time in her life the meaning of sexual tension. She didn't know if he felt it too, or if she was just imagining it on her own. But it certainly made her days uncomfortable. Especially with Cain-nii-san's very touchy-feely habits.

When the assignment was finally done, Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief. She stepped onto Jelly's truck for the last time to become Mogami Kyoko again.

The two women had become quite close over the past few weeks, because Jelly would often need to check up on Kyoko, make sure she had enough make up, take care of the wig, occasionally bring some new clothes, and the like. Jelly was a very friendly, open person, and made Kyoko feel very comfortable in her presence. Kyoko had opened up to her quite a bit, more than she did with anyone. Jelly knew about Kyoko's past with Sho, and by extension they had talked about Kyoko's relationship with her mother. Kyoko hadn't ever told anyone about that in detail in her life except for Corn, and it made her feel very connected to Jelly, who was comforting and supportive, and told Kyoko that she hadn't deserved any such misfortunes.

This connection with Jelly, who then knew her biggest secrets and heartaches, made her, while trying on a clean new wig, accidentally spill about her love for Ren. Jelly was so excited. She demanded all details immediately, and Kyoko ashamedly and reluctantly gave them. Jelly understood her hesitance to admit to loving after that horrible boy, as Jelly called him, had broken her, but encouraged her to have hope.

Kyoko told Jelly later about the tension she felt alone with Ren, and Jelly explained that it was because she was attracted to Ren and couldn't act on it that she felt sexual tension. She also told Kyoko that he probably felt it too, though Kyoko doubted it still. After that, Jelly brought more tiny tops and skirts, and had given Kyoko the idea to check Ren's reaction when she wore them, but warned her not to trust if they were too mild because he's an actor.

When they walked off the truck, Kyoko said with relief evident in her voice, "It's finally over."

She hadn't realized that Ren was standing right there a few yards away, and heard her declaration. She blushed, and felt ashamed at herself.

"Mogami-san, I'm sorry if you were unhappy during our time together, I had hoped that you would be happy, but there was no need to force yourself to stay."

Kyoko started apologizing wildly, "I'm so sorry Tsuruga-san, I didn't mean it like that, you were very kind to me and I'm very grateful, I was just thinking it would be nice, and less hectic, to just be me again, I'm sorry!" She bowed low, and Ren felt little reassurance. She was just apologizing because that's what she knew to do. She was lying, he could tell. There must have been something she was happy to get away from now that this was over. It couldn't be him, could it?

Ren let out his own sigh, this one of sadness. Kyoko heard, straightened from her bow, and asked, "Tsuruga-san? Are you alright? I really am sorry…"

"No, I'm fine Mogami-san, really. Don't worry about it. But I wish you hadn't stayed when something made you uncomfortable, I could've spoken with the president."

"No, no, I really wasn't unhappy, Tsuruga-san, it's just that, it was just that-"

Jelly interrupted when Kyoko got stuck, "It's just that she couldn't take the sexual tension anymore, Ren-chan."

Kyoko looked like she'd swallowed a bug. Her back and arms were ramrod straight, her eyes were complete circles, and her jaw was locked shut. She didn't know what to say, couldn't get out the words to deny it. Ren just looked confused.

"I'll leave you two to figure this out." Jelly walked into her darling's car, and they drove away, while Kyoko inwardly swore to make a doll of Jelly and sew her mouth shut.

Ren thought about how tense he'd felt over the past weeks with Kyoko so close to him, how she continually wore tiny outfits even after he'd bought more modest items, and how they would sometimes just look at each other, in each others' eyes or at their bodies. He'd thought it was just him feeling that, he thought she was just playing Setsu. Maybe she had felt it too, if Jelly had told the truth.

He needed to take this opportunity to tell her his feelings. He steeled himself for either the most pain or most joy he would ever experience.

"Mogami-san?"

His voice brought her out of her trance, but it didn't loosen her tongue quite enough. "That is- I mean, she- I don't think- I, um, I, I can't-"

Ren held up a hand to stop her. "Mogami-san, were you unhappy during the time we spent together?"

Not trusting her traitorous tongue, Kyoko shook her head violently in protest.

"Do you see me as a friend?"

Managing to squeak out a few words, she said unsurely, "If Tsuruga-san doesn't mind…"

"I don't," he said clearly. She nodded.

"Mogami-san, do you find me attractive?"

Kyoko blushed deeply, looking horrified. He prepared to take it as an unequivocal no, until she nodded, once quickly. He was shocked. There was an awkward pause before he plunged into the next question.

"Have you ever thought that we could be more than friends?"

She was stunned. More than friends? Oh, how often she had thought of that as a distant impossibility, a dream she couldn't hope to achieve through effort, the ultimate reward for good karma that she didn't have.

Ren didn't wait for her answer before asking another question. "Have you ever seen the way you affect me?"

That confused her. How could she affect him? Maybe she annoyed him? She had yet to put together his line of questioning to find his line of thought.

Ren's questions stopped, replaced by an outpour of pent-up emotion. He also began to use her given name. "Kyoko, I was always so happy when we were together these past few weeks. You are my closest friend, and the most beautiful woman I've ever met, hands down. I wish every day of my life that we could be more than friends."

He paused, and watched as the gears in her head clicked. She had been in turmoil as he answered his own questions, each telling her his feelings, and now her mind was peaceful.

"You have no idea, do you Kyoko?" It was his last question, accentuated with his footsteps as he approached her. She didn't move, her heart waiting for a certain signal before she could regain full body movement.

He reached her, stopping when his body was inches from hers. He looked down at her, smiling that smile that killed her grudges, and said, "I love you."

That was what her heart had been waiting for. She could move again, and she used her regained motor-skills to wrap her arms around his neck. "I love you, too," she responded, and pressed her lips lightly to his. His enthusiasm in responding literally swept her off her feet as he grabbed her around her waist and lifted her to his level.

Kyoko's real first kiss was everything she could have hoped for: passionate, breathtaking, and with a wonderful man that she loved and who loved her back.

She made a note to make a doll of Jelly and charm it for good luck.

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><p><strong>AN: As usual, I ask that you kindly review with you thoughts. One word, Two, a paragraph, an in depth analysis, whatever. I appreciate anything. Cheers  
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